The rants, raves, reviews, news, and express written opinion of a writer celebrating his life long love affair with music that rocks!!!

Monday, December 1, 2014

The Greatest Album Is...Destroyer

Every band that has
been around for a while and released great records runs into this debate; what
is their greatest album? The greatest album is…is a column dedicated to
tackling that age old question. What is the greatest album recorded by Kiss?
Join with us now as the question is answered and arguments are made that the
greatest Kiss album is Destroyer.

After releasing their first live album, and one of the
first double live records in the history of rock, Kiss went back into the
studio to work on a record that was going to live up to their new found
popularity. They were faced with a daunting task, but these four young, hungry
New Yorkers were up for the challenge. Working with producer Bob Ezrin, Kiss entered
the studio and came out with an album that not only exceeded expectations of
all their fans, but also became what has been considered the greatest Kiss
album ever recorded.

Destroyer is an
absolute pleasure from start to finish. There is not a bad song on the record. From
the opening introductory scene that sets up “Detroit Rock City,” to the final
note of “Do You Love Me,” Destroyer is
a masterpiece! Filled with themes of rock and roll superstardom, lusting
groupies, and the rigors of life in a rock band, Destroyer is an album that resonates with hard rock fans throughout
the world. It is an album that any fan who calls themselves a lover of hard
rock music must own.

One of the many components that make Destroyer so amazing
is the fact that it was written by all four members of the band. And while Ace
Frehley doesn’t sing any lead vocals, he was the one who wrote the lyrics and
melody for “Detroit Rock City.” Every member of the band came into the studio
with something, looking for ways that they could contribute. Every member
fought to deliver only their best work and to get it on the record. In the end,
the fans were the biggest winners. Kiss had never worked as hard on an album.
Not before and not since. Their hard work still holds up nearly 40 years later.

Destroyer sold
well upon its release. The album was certified gold almost immediately, and
initial sales in the first month were estimated around 850,000. However, by the
end of the summer of 1976, sales of Destroyer
stagnated and the album fell down the charts in rapid fashion. Critics were
very hard on the record, slamming it for “pedestrian drumming,” and calling it
the band’s “least interesting record.” Decades later, those same critics would
be adding the record to the 500 Greatest Albums of All Time and similar lists.

Destroyer does
contain one of the greatest Kiss gems that most fans, die-hards included, seem
to forget about. “Sweet Pain” could be one of the best Kiss songs ever recorded
and yet it receives almost no fanfare. It is a mid tempo hard rocker, about the
pleasure of pain, desire, and sexual tension. Written and performed by Gene
Simmons, a majority of the Kiss Army forget this song exists, and several have
written it off as filler or a throw away. Make no mistake about it, “Sweet
Pain,” is anything but filler. If the band ever wanted to up their live
performance, they would do well to dust off this beauty and give it a much
deserved performance.

Song for song and note for note, Destroyer is Kiss’ finest piece of work. While there may be
arguments for other Kiss records (Love
Gun, Revenge, Dressed To Kill), it is Destroyer
that stands above the rest. The band’s most beloved songs are present and
accounted for. The overall fun factor of this record is through the roof, and
if there was one Kiss album that anyone should own, it would be this one.